The Star Gold Coast Casino Australia - Key Facts Before You Go

Gaming Floor and What Is Actually There

The Star Gold Coast operates a full-time casino on Broadbeach Island in Queensland, open around the clock. On the Gold Coast itself it is the only casino that runs 24 hours for gaming, so it effectively anchors the whole Broadbeach Island precinct. It trades every day of the week, pausing only for the usual Queensland restrictions on Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day.

By Australian benchmarks, the floor is on the larger side. More than 1,400 electronic gaming machines sit across the main gaming area and the private rooms, covering different denominations and game styles. Alongside those, there are over 70 table games. These also spill across the open floor and private spaces. Access to the private rooms is not a casual walk-in situation - guests have to organise it through casino staff.

Physically, the casino sits on the Nerang River side of the island and is wrapped into a larger resort setting. On the same property you see hotel towers, a run of restaurants, a few bars and venues for events. Gaming is just one of the moving parts in that environment, not a stand-alone building on its own, and that shapes how a visit tends to feel.

Planning a Visit

For most guests, turning up on the day is enough. Standard entry to the main casino floor does not need a reservation. The property is at 1 Casino Drive, Broadbeach Island, Broadbeach QLD 4218, which is a short hop from central Broadbeach by tram, bus, taxi or rideshare, and straightforward by car. The main phone contact is (07) 5592 8100, and the official website sits at star.com.au/goldcoast.

Queensland casino rules have shifted in the last few years. One of the important changes is that certain games now require mandatory carded play. Visitors should have valid photo ID on them and be ready to sign up for a player card if they want to use particular machines or table areas. There are also tighter limits on how cash is used for gaming under the updated legislation. It tends to surprise people who are used to the older, more cash-heavy set-up.

Checking the venue’s own site the day before can save some hassle. Promotional offers, entertainment line-ups and even how the floor is laid out on a given night can change with little notice. A quick look online avoids turning up to find a favourite area is closed or a particular deal has ended.

A basic run-through of how a visit usually unfolds looks like this:

1. Look up current operating details and remember the three public holiday closures.
2. Make your way to 1 Casino Drive and follow the signs to the main entry.
3. Keep photo ID handy in case staff ask for it at the door or near gaming areas.
4. From the entrance, head towards the main floor for electronic gaming machines or the separate table section.
5. If you need a private gaming room, speak with casino staff to arrange access rather than walking in.
6. Break up gaming sessions by using the on-site dining, bars or just stepping back from the floor for a while.
7. Use (07) 5592 8100 if you have questions about events, private spaces or accessibility before you arrive.
8. Check star.com.au/goldcoast for any current promotions and to line up hotel stays.

Regulatory History - A Complicated Few Years

The Star Gold Coast operates under a casino licence issued in line with the Casino Control Act 1982 (Queensland). That licence is formally held by The Star Entertainment QLD Custodian Pty Ltd, which sits inside The Star Entertainment Group Limited. Oversight responsibility rests with the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), part of Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

From 2021 onwards, the compliance picture has been complex. In October 2021, OLGR began investigations into The Star Entertainment Group’s Queensland casinos after a surge in public and media attention around casino conduct and integrity. Those investigations led to the Gotterson Review - an external review ordered under section 91 of the Casino Control Act - which covered both The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane.

The Gotterson Review ultimately found that the two casinos were, at that time, not suitable to hold casino licences. Following that, show cause notices were issued to the licensee entities, requiring them to explain why OLGR should not move ahead with disciplinary steps. The Queensland Government then installed a Special Manager to monitor and oversee the day-to-day operations at both Queensland sites.

During 2023, The Star Entertainment QLD Limited was convicted of eleven offences tied to the running of its two Queensland casinos and ordered to pay $140,000 in penalties. OLGR then signed off on a Revised Remediation Plan that applies to both The Star Gold Coast and The Star Brisbane. That plan lays out how budgets, funding, controls and oversight must be handled, with a level of detail that goes right down into monitoring arrangements.

By 2025, the Acting Queensland Attorney-General confirmed that the intended suspension of The Star Gold Coast’s casino licence had been pushed back to 30 September 2026. The Special Manager appointment has been extended to the same date. In practical terms, the casino floor continues trading, but under closer supervision, with its future licence position tied to how well the remediation program holds together over time. The longer-term outcome is still open.

From Jupiters to The Star - A Brief History

The Broadbeach Island casino property has been part of Queensland’s tourism landscape for more than three and a half decades. When it first opened, it operated as Jupiters Hotel and Casino, and that name became closely linked with Gold Coast holidays right through the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. As the Gold Coast grew into a major domestic and international destination, the casino and hotel drew steady visitor numbers.

In 2017 the property was rebadged as The Star Gold Coast, bringing it under The Star Entertainment Group’s broader national branding. The old Jupiters name was phased out. At the same time, investment flowed heavily into non-gaming assets: new and upgraded hotel accommodation, dining spaces and entertainment offerings. The shift was towards the integrated resort model, where gaming sits alongside other experiences rather than standing as the only reason to visit.

The Star Entertainment Group Limited, listed on the ASX, now runs three casino properties across Australia: The Star Gold Coast, The Star Sydney in New South Wales and The Star Brisbane (formerly Treasury Brisbane). On the Gold Coast itself, The Star Gold Coast remains the only casino, and statewide it is one of four facilities that hold a Queensland casino licence.

Queensland Casino Reforms and Day-to-Day Impact

Queensland has overhauled its casino rules in recent years. The reforms apply equally to all four licensed casinos in the state and were introduced as a response to broader concerns about gambling harm and casino behaviour, not solely because of issues at The Star.

Some of the core requirements now in effect are:

1. Mandatory carded play for specified games and activities on the casino floor.
2. Restrictions on how and when cash can be used during gaming.
3. Mandatory pre-commitment tools and time limits for players.
4. Enforced breaks for players at set intervals.
5. Obligations on the casino to record and report player activity data.
6. Provision of de-identified player data to OLGR for analysis.
7. Compliance with an enforceable code of conduct for staff and how they interact with players.

Using electronic gaming machines, and some table games, now requires a registered player card. That card links the play to a player account and, in turn, allows the use of pre-commitment settings. Before a session starts, a player can choose spending limits and time caps. Compared with the position even five years earlier, it is a material change in how a typical session is structured.

During the 2022-23 financial year, OLGR carried out 645 casino audits across Queensland. That single number gives a sense of how intense supervision has become. The Star Gold Coast is included in that environment and operates with that level of scrutiny in the background.

Ownership and Corporate Structure

At the corporate level, The Star Entertainment Group Limited sits at the top of the structure and is responsible for The Star Gold Coast as part of its portfolio. Queensland operations run through separate subsidiary companies. For the Gold Coast property, the casino licence is formally in the name of The Star Entertainment QLD Custodian Pty Ltd. The operating company, The Star Entertainment QLD Limited, is the entity that appears in regulatory actions, including penalty notices and court findings. From the outside the two names sound alike, but in legal and regulatory terms the difference does matter.

Across Australia, the group holds three casinos in two different states. The Star Sydney is regulated under New South Wales arrangements, which are separate from Queensland rules. The two Queensland casinos - The Star Gold Coast and The Star Brisbane - share OLGR oversight, fall under the supervision of the Special Manager, and are both covered by the same Revised Remediation Plan.

For people following the regulatory story closely, the main sources of detail remain the group’s own corporate disclosures. ASX announcements and the yearly reports set out timelines for remediation, current and potential licence conditions and the financial implications of OLGR directions. The 2023 and 2024 annual reports devote significant space to the situation at The Star Gold Coast and how the group is responding to Queensland’s regulatory expectations.